The analysis of Government data by Prudential found that in the 2011-2012 tax year the average retired household paid £6,400 in tax from a gross income of £21,300. That equated to a total of £45.6 billion paid in taxes by all retired households.
The average retired household pays out 30 per cent of its annual income in a combination of direct and indirect taxes, according to the study.
Stan Russell, retirement income expert at Prudential, said: "Retiring from work doesn't mean that you are retiring from paying tax.
"These latest figures are a stark reminder that not all the income you receive in retirement will be yours to spend as you like."

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VAT and income tax were the largest duties retirees found themselves paying – each consuming eight per cent of the average retired household's annual income – council tax also accounted for around four per cent. Indirect taxes other than VAT, including vehicle excise duty, taxes on alcohol, tobacco and petrol, combined to take a further 10 per cent.
Of the 30 per cent of its annual income that the average retired household paid in tax, just under three fifths (£3,800) was in indirect taxation. As such, retired households with lower incomes were likely to find themselves paying out a greater proportion of those incomes in tax.